E203 Nicolette Diodati

This week's guest is Nicolette Theodati, who joins us from Miami, Florida. Nicolette is the head of Advocacy at Purnow Recard for North America, leading brand ambassadors, trade programming and partnerships, and general advocacy of the industry. Nicolette grew up in Long Island, New York, and had worked in a number of service jobs while growing up. After college, Nicolette had a desire to work in the music industry and also loved art.

After observing and learning how to cater to that crowd and environment, this sparked her love for hospitality. And Nicolette's career has taken off ever since. We talked with Nicolette about her time working at a vineyard, her follow-up transition getting into spirits, and her move into Purnow Recard. Nicolette's role in the company today, the planning and challenges of bringing ideas and programs to life in this space.

Some of Nicolette's top picks from the Purnow Recard portfolio, plus a host of other topics. We had a terrific interview with Nicolette. Enjoy the show. And we are back with another episode of the industry podcast.

My name is Kip. This is Dan. What's happening, buddy? Not too much.

Another lovely summer week. So do I work at a shop as always? Mm-hmm. Gotta pay the bills.

What do I do? How do I think it's going with you? That's great. We're just gotten throws of the LCBO straight up here in Ontario.

So can't buy liquor anywhere. I went to the local grocery store, one of the ones that has a wine rack in it, where you can actually, for those people who don't live in Ontario, who are listening, this is one of the only places outside of the LCBO stores that you can buy liquor. And their shelves were completely empty. I went to three different ones, because we were just trying to buy some shitty sangria wine for the Balancestors, and completely empty, all the shelves totally empty, except for these few bottles of sparkling.

And I'm just like, oh, fuck. Maybe this is the... I'll just grab this stuff, and I realize, oh, it was Jackson's Triggs sparkling Merlot. Sparkling Merlot.

Oh, there's a number of dollars and $25. That's a total one. And every store that I went to was the same thing remaining. I was building that.

These wineries should use this as a focus group, just like send people out to the grocery store right now. Whatever's left on the show, stop making that. Nobody wants it. Yeah, I was buying beer for the office yesterday, because I didn't want to work.

So I went back here instead. And obviously, the only choice was the grocery store close by. And it was cleared out about 80%. All the beers, I was just like, wow.

So they were supposed to open a few small stores this weekend, Friday to help us out, and they had a big snade idea, so that's not happening. And they said, in order to... Their idea was in order to drive people to the bars and restaurants. So then, I don't understand why you wouldn't just open it for licensees.

But they didn't do that either. They're just shutting it down. And then today, you could not order on their website for licensees, or for personal. Oh, really?

So, yeah. I guess they weren't too pleased with our illustrious premiers ad labs. When you came up, barbecue, and tell the people, right, we got a map. We could go shop at these distilleries and breweries, and not the LCBO.

Yeah. But let's get into the advertising portion of the show. And I tell you where you can go get booze still, which is a sugar run, a downtown kitchener, a sugar run, a sugar run bar on Instagram. If you want to check out that bar, Babylon Sisters, ad Babylon Sisters bar on Instagram, both of my bars still have booze at this moment.

So until we're no longer allowed to get liquor from anyone, we will still have booze. So come check us out. You can also get booze from our good friends at Allure de Stilling. I don't know if you're aware of Allure de Stilling.

In fact, I've been ordering booze for both of my bars from Allure de Stilling, not just because you can't get it at the LCBO, because it's fucking delicious, Dan. Yeah, and it's local. So, I think they support your local business. In fact, allow me to pour you a quick glass of the great expectations Ontario, terroir gin from Allure de Stilling.

Thank you very much. Allure de Stilling, they are a local grain. The grass distilleries resources a lot of their grains of botanicals from local farms in the Waterloo region of Wellington County areas. That's right.

Great expectations as a truly homegrown interior craft gin. And it's their flagship brand. It's just a bounce herbal gin, and it's available now for wholesale, for restaurants and bars. It is available in the LCBO when that fucking place opens again.

But right now, it's just... It might be 2027 when that happens on the current rate. But it's a delicious product. You should also check out their Royal Rum Spice Black.

You can get that from their wholesale. What you want to do is follow them at Allure de Stilling Co. That's Allure de Stilling CO. Or you can check out Allure de Stilling Company.com.

In fact, right now's the time. Just get on their website, order your liquor from them directly, because you can just circumvent the whole LCBO strike just by ordering from a wonderful local distillery. Yeah. If you live in Ontario for that specific reason.

That's right. Yeah, if you don't live in Ontario, still order from them. Yeah. Because the product is great.

The great expectations, gin, the Royal Rum Spice Black, both terrific products, and they have a shit ton of other stuff. We also have the Aperitivo Royale that they've given us a little bit. Have you want to try a little look at that too now? Sure, why not?

There you go. The Aperitivo. But yeah, they're making a ton of great products. Go on to their website.

You can get this for your private consumption. You can get it for your bar. We serve it at Babylon Sensors. We serve it at Sugar Run at Allure DistillingCO or Alluredistillingcompany.com.

Before we get to our guests who's going to be joining us in just a second, we should mention that if you like what we're doing here on the show, you should subscribe, rate, follow, review, do all those things. That helps us out tremendously. And if you'd like to be a guest on the show, reach out directly info at theindustrypodcast.club. Or you can DM us directly at the industry podcast on Instagram.

And that is where you will find the amazing artwork by our good friend, Zach Hannah, at zach Hannah.co. And another thing that really helps do is just to tell one other person about the podcast. And that helps us even just help spread the word. Right.

Exactly. And that's basically enough about us. It's never enough about Allure Distilling Company. No.

Check that out. Allure Distilling Company. And now let's get to our guest, Nico Daddio, is joining us from Miami. How are you, Nico?

Oh, good. Hello, hello. Excited to be here. Yeah, thanks for doing this.

Thanks, Tom. Yeah. And you did it on short notice, which is amazing as well, because I know you're super fucking busy right now. You're getting ready to go to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail.

So when do you leave for that? I'm Friday. I'm Friday. And right now you're joining us from Miami, and you're originally from New York.

That's correct. All right. I just fucking nailed that bio. First time in two episodes.

All locations have been fine. I've only got it. OK, so let's talk about, well, let's first talk about what your job is right now. Yeah, my job right now is the head of advocacy at Pranur Card.

So for North America, really, the US focused, leading our Brand Ambassadors, our trade programming partnerships, and just like general advocacy of the industry, sort of how we approach all the folks that make this thing run 365. So like specifically, what does that entail? Like, what does that, what does an advocate do? That's a million dollar question.

That's what they've been doing for you. No, it's a good one because it's hard to capture in a sentence. But really, it's making sure that anyone that's working on these large brands, right, you have these marketing arms, sales arms, these global massive companies. And we are a small sort of compact team that makes sure that we're talking to the bartender.

And we're talking to the song, the chef, the person that's actually serving the product and making sure they're taking care of. So there's always a brand lens to it, of course, like making sure that our brands are best represented, that our tender will want to grab ours over another. But the core of what we do is really just making sure they all have access to education, access to resources and materials to further learning, and just sort of acknowledging that like, hey, we see you chose this as your career. So do we, like we ended up on this side, but we see you and we want to make sure that you have what you need, whether it's fighting for a living wage or, you know, going off to visit a brand home and really getting some like a immersive education.

So no two days are the same, which is really fun. Yeah, that must be interesting. Like it sounds like a cool experience for a job because one of the reasons that a lot of people get into the service industry to begin with is that we are those types of personalities that don't want every day to be the same. Like we're not the type of people want to work at a factory where you're just working online and every day is the same or working in an office where every day is the same.

So this is kind of the culmination of that like where like, because when you're bartending or serving, even though every day is different, because the job is pretty much the same, but you have actually now made a job for your somewhere literally every day is different. Yeah, yeah, it is. And like there's definitely some structure in there, but there's a lot of variables around like what we can do each day, whether it's going out, like talking to bartenders or doing education or, you know, some days it's a little more admin focus, but it's like putting in the work, doing the research, connecting with others, making partnerships and kind of making sure that like we have the materials in place to be able to do what we want to do out in the field. So yeah, it's very different.

And there's a lot of like really cool opportunities that come along. I think you don't always know the side of the world exists when you get behind a bar and we always go around right like the dark side of becoming a BA or going to a supplier, but there is sort of this other world around advocacy and what a BA would do that is pretty cool. And you know, there's a lot of like work to be done, I think a lot of visibility that's needed on people that care and like want to make that type of thing accessible for the trade. So would you consider the job as an advocate the same as a BA or is it like is that just a different name for it or are they separate jobs?

They're separate jobs, but they all exist within the same ecosystem. So I'm in a BA program, so I'm in a job, regional and national ambassadors. And so obviously the core is still the same. What I do is a little bit different than what they're doing working on behalf of a brand to sort of like bring that to life and represent it out in the market, but we all have a single so we're all working together to like touch different parts of, you know, the industry.

Okay, so let's kind of back it up a little bit. So you started in you grew up in New York? You grew up in New York, born and raised out on Long Island and stayed there up until a couple of years ago when I made the big move, much like a lot of people from New York down to Miami. Yeah, but you're way too young for it.

I thought you were like in your 60s. It's a long island to Miami Express. Yeah, well, you know, pass train towards retirement. Okay, so when you, let's talk about how you first got involved in the service industry.

How was your first job and how did you decide that at what point did you decide that that's what you were doing now? That's my favorite question because usually it just happens to us. We didn't even realize. I think that's sort of how all those I always had random service jobs growing up various like different capacities just being like a teenager, whether it's summer job or serving.

And then I went to college and thought that I kind of wanted to work somehow in the music industry, I was really into art and I was like, oh, I'm going to do all this. And I think that's really where my love for hospitality sparked. Like kind of seeing how you cater to that sort of crowd and environment. And one day I just decided actually not, I'm going to go learn about one.

And something had piqued my interest and I moved out east and started working out of Vineyard on the island, which is where I did all my certifications and really got to study the process of making wine. And then from there it really stuck in the wine space. I was pretty, I mean, I love it. So always going to be my first sort of love is wine.

But somewhere along the way, there was this shift into like spirits and understanding true bartending versus wine service and fine dining service. And that really piqued my interest. And so kind of took a little pivot there and moved. And once I got into that part of it, I moved pretty quickly onto the supplier side just because it sort of was like a natural step to continue learning while also having a big girl pitch check.

Oh, yeah. And it's also like a steady one. You know what to expect every time, right? Which as opposed to the certain degree, you can make a lot of money at any point, but you never know how much money you're going to make.

So it's a little bit different. But when should I get a backup of that? That's a recent winery on Long Island. That's not something we're obviously too often to much here.

We live. Yeah. What are the wines like from there? And is it like, I'm guessing a very small industry.

Yeah, it's pretty small, but you know, it's pretty impactful in the US. It's been growing. I think it's the largest winery is outside of Napa. But of course, you know, there's tons of pockets that are up and coming in terms of wine.

But Long Island, the Hudson Valley, sort of up into Mid-Upsy New York, it's a really big wine region. There's a lot of world-class wines coming from there, which is great. And I got super fortunate. I kind of plopped into a role at a winery that became one of America's best.

And they were really sort of inventive in what they did. So they were able to span out into doing some like ciders and different things around what they were known for, which was Rose. So I was out in the Hamptons and it was sort of a very popular seasonal location. And they really knew how to capitalize on that.

So I sort of learned quickly on like what that could look like when you understand the client you're talking to. And so it was that Rose a cider that actually sort of flipped for me. It allowed me to get more into New York City. So I was spending a lot of time there.

It was really popular in bars, whether they was being mixed or being served as just in a straight little bottle. And all of a sudden I'm spending all this time in these great bars. I'm like, oh, this is pretty cool. I didn't really realize that you could do all this.

Like I was so used to just really structured wine bars, wine and fine dining like service. So yeah, it was pretty cool. And it's not something you hear often. I think most people are like, well, what type of wine is out there?

But it's really the time. Can you tell us the winery? Yeah, it's called Wolf first state vineyards. Wolf first state vineyards.

And so what are some of the other wineries that are out in that region that maybe our listeners already know about? Yeah, I think there's a bunch of really great ones on the north work. So the end of my life split obviously, it's sort of two little prongs and mine is on the south work. But McCarrie on the north work is great.

How is tooth winery is really well known? And they've actually expanded out into Brooklyn and have done some really cool stuff with, you know, very small producers out in Brooklyn. So there's a couple of budding ones that really have a cult following, which is cool. And it's cool that you're saying with the Rose a cider and stuff.

And now you can move that, like you're moving just not from just making wine into like stuff that can be used in cocktails. And so now you're advocating for that kind of stuff in bars using and using the common cocktails, et cetera, correct? Yeah, there's definitely an element of like creativity and exploration until I think about things differently. You know, now that I work with in Pranor Card, there's a set of brands that we sort of strive for.

But even some of the sort of upcoming ones we're investing in, those are sort of the darlings where I'm like, let's like get into those because they're interesting, you know, they're different type of product where obviously there's the known brands like your whiskeys, your single off scotches, the things that are, you know how to use and they're great. But it's sort of those new brands that they're looking at and investing where I'm like, okay, this needs some love, like this is where we want to get the trade excited about because this is where like the magic happens. So what would you say started your love for wine? You said, we kind of glazed over it a little bit, but you were telling a story and all of sudden it's like, oh, I became focused on wine.

How did that happen? I went to a really great wine bar in New York City. That's no longer open. It was called the Rouge de Mott.

And I was like, this is really cool. I didn't really, you know, I really thought too much about it. At the time I was still really focused on like, I still love flavor. I still loved like all these things.

I didn't know what that meant. You know, you're 18, 19. You're like, what does that really mean? Like, do I'd go to culinary school?

Do I just like, what do you do with that? And there was a really great staff there that was like, no, just send me, just learn. So immediately, like I started doing that, spending all of my time kind of checking out different wine bars and then looking for jobs. And I saw a list, it was for a harvest hand posting out in during harvest season.

And I was like, okay, I can do that. It's not too far from where I grew up. I can go, you know, save my parents' house and like learn and eventually turn into a full time role where I was able to actually help out with like, you know, it's a small family business. So it was a little bit of marketing, a little bit of working with the winemaker, a little bit of, you know, doing service full volume, like peak summer season.

So it was great. That's what we're really having. Tell me the experience of working as a harvest hand because I would see those jobs like pop up and I'm just like, it sounds like, you know, that's the hard work, right? Oh, yeah.

I think very quickly that it takes years of practice and these people are so skilled at doing it so quickly and that will for we harvest everything by hand and they can do so many tons a day and I'm there like getting one bee sting. I'm like, okay, I don't think, you know, I'm not, you know, I was, but like, I didn't realize how intense this was and they're just like flying down the vine. So it was crazy. It was a humbling experience and I was very excited to quickly move into the seller.

Yeah, right. But then you also like took all the W6 courses, et cetera, right? So how much did you find like, did you find it valuable to have already done the, you know, the harvesting part as well when you were like, when you sort of further do education? For sure.

I mean, any sort of hands on knowledge, I think is so important, which is why I now really love to advocate for that type of like shadowing experience, distillery home, anything that you can do hands on, sort of learning or mentorship is so important. It definitely helps. I think what was the biggest piece in helping with that was actually the access to tasting and being able to be around people like the winemakers and the folks who had such insane palettes who were able to really help me understand like how to taste and what to look for and then, you know, able to do like blind tasting. So seeing it happen in action each year, whether it's like the pressing or the part of the harvesting is great because then you have like this mental image that's your own, but of course access to like other great minds is always the best part.

And it probably is like specifically helped you when you were doing the courses, right? Because it's like, I remember when I was doing them, like the blind tasting was a whole new fucking thing for me, but you had already sort of done it. Yeah. And it was such a backwards sort of thing because I, you know, so many people really entered into such a laser focus and I was sort of still young and trying to figure all this out.

And so I got to do all of this like tasting, but did I fully contextualize it and like understand it? Maybe not. But as I was going through the courses, then you kind of apply that knowledge and you get to sort of see like, okay, this is why these things work. This is what I did back then that I maybe didn't even understand that I was doing.

And so it was a really cool 360 experience because as I fell more in love with it, I was able to like uncover these patches that were available to me and dive a little bit deeper into those areas. So it became, you know, a really great opportunity and way to learn in that sense versus just being like, I'm going to take this course, I'm going to study and I'm going to follow the path of like sitting and doing it in that order. Yeah, it's almost like on like hands on experience while you like, what's the, like it's like a co-op experience almost. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So now you finish these courses, you worked at the winery, whatever. What was the next step for you?

So I wanted to get back into New York. Obviously just being young, being out east, it was, you know, it's a seasonal farm town and it became a little bit like the action was happening back in the city. And so I really wanted to get back to New York City, get some more like hands on experience in accounts. And so kind of got in there, started doing that and was very quickly sort of like picked up by a mentor of mine who was formerly in my position at Prno and was like, would you ever be interested in this?

And at the time I was like, I don't think so. Like I don't really know spirits all that well. I'm kind of on this like one track mine on wine and I don't really know what your job is. Like it doesn't really make that much sense to me.

And so after some convincing and like, you know, couple rounds, I did it, I went over it allowed you to be in the city full time to really like move into another space. I was really interested in the wines that Prno had that had some great campaigns or do still have. And I was like, all right, well, you know, this will just help me get like established in New York. Like I can work service at night.

I can still do my tastings and this is a cool job and I ended up very quickly falling in love with it. And then actually was the pandemic, not too long after about a year and a half in. And so then I was just kind of like sitting, I was like, happy I'm having a job. I'm here.

I'm going to keep learning. Let's go through the goals. And obviously there's like structured that you have to hear to. But there's also a little bit of like, what you're passionate about.

You can really bring to the table. So when I bring on ambassadors or bring on like people within different spaces, it's like they have the runway to sort of like do what they think is best and what they're most passionate about. So it took me a little bit to sort of figure it out. I think the first reaction was like, oh, this is corporate.

And then you sort of start to realize like where the work needs to be done. As you start to see the gaps of like, okay, yes, maybe it's fun and shiny, but there's some things we need to do here. Like there's a real gap in education or these people are not being paid appropriately or there's some inequities that we need to solve. And so it's a cool place to be like, well, I have the opportunity to do that because I have this big machine behind me and I have the opportunity to relate as a peer to some of these folks and really make sure that they're heard and then give them what they need on behalf of a brand.

And I think it's a great win-win because the brand needs that equity, they need the visibility, they want to build that loyalty with the bartender, but if you can do it after you do some good, I mean, that's pretty cool. So like, that's interesting to me. So you do find that in, like even though you work in this giant corporate structure, like for no giant company, you do find that they give you the freedom to kind of create your own role and like sort of advocate in a way that makes sense to you, but doesn't follow maybe, like, you obviously are going to follow specific corporate rules. Like I'm just trying to get my head around, I'm doing a terrible job of asking the question, but I think you know what I mean.

Like it's like, you do find this freedom even though you're in this giant corporate structure. Yeah, I think it's really just about like coming to the table with what you're passionate with, right? And I see this a lot with my ambassadors and the people that come on to represent a brand like specialize in their spirit category. But everyone enters in from a different point of the industry and what's relevant in one market is not gonna be relevant in another.

So what my team in LA is doing is not the same as like, you know, Texas. There's different opportunity there to really be like, hey, this is what my people need. And like, I'm gonna come to you with an idea, but you know, there's a level of like, you gotta back it up. There's still the need to justify, you know, ROI, make sure that we're doing the things that the company wants us to do.

But within that, there's freedom. So if there's a great idea to do, you know, some sort of like bartender meals program or if there's an opportunity to send a group of people out to visit a distillery or go on a scholarship to, you know, bar five day. Like those are all things that we can do. We just need to find the right way to do them and make sure it's gonna be as impactful as we're intending.

But you know, some people don't have, they have different passions. So they can sort of pick like, I'm really into painting. Let's do like a painting class. And you're like, okay, well, how does it make sense?

Sell it on, like, you know. Right, sell me on it. Yeah. So, and that makes complete sense to me as someone who is not running for no.

Like, you know what I mean? So like, that makes a lot of sense. Like allow these people to have a little bit of creative freedom to bring new ideas to the table. Do you think that that is something specific to print?

No, or all these major companies, do you, would you imagine that they have the same sort of allowance for creative development? I definitely think there's allowance there. You know, you definitely see other ambassadors and other programs doing things where you're like, that's a really cool idea or like that's a great way to approach this. So I definitely think that particularly with an advocacy, like ideas are very welcome and on the table because the industry is changing and evolving so much and there's always gonna be new generations of talent and trade, there's gonna be new issues that have to be tackled.

You know, I think what I've specifically learned in the past two years as I've climbed up the ladder, if you will, like, there's definitely a need to justify it a lot more of my day to day now is like making sure I can sell that back in and balance it against like the goals of the company, the needs of each brand. You know, everyone has their own tone of voice, the way they wanna appear. So there's definitely a need for alignment and like strategic consistency. And that part is, it is fun to be able to sort of take that and look at it and be like, all right, I can see as someone who is there, this is a great idea.

We need to work to not shop it now and make sure like it's realistic because you know, otherwise we have people out there being like, let's just take everyone on a jet. Like, well, we're gonna come home from the people. Right, so it's kind of like, your position now is very unique for you, I'm sure it's very interesting because like you moved like, okay, justify why are we spending this money on that? So how, like I'm trying to think about that, that's just properly, but like how do you, like you have a set of rules where it's like, okay, like does the math works for this creative idea but not for this?

Like how do you say yes or no to an idea? I guess is what I'm asking. I think it's kind of a dual layer, right? Cause there's an element of coaching, right?

Like managing the team of ambassadors who are all either, you know, have been a BA or from freshman behind the bar, there's an element of coaching needed where you don't just like shoot things down, but then there's an element of balance and sort of teaching like how do you justify this? How do we make this work? And sometimes all ideas are not great. Like that's just that.

Yeah, no bad ideas in a brain sound idea. Right, exactly. Yeah. And you're like, well, sometimes no.

You know, and sometimes the answer is just no. And other times it's like there's potential. And so it also takes a lot of self work to be able to like see that in others and make sure that like any of my biases are not being placed onto their ideas of like, even if I don't think it's great because I don't maybe like, I don't know, whatever it is. But specifically, like the specific thing, it was like, I don't like beach ball party or whatever, right?

Right, me specifically. But you can recognize maybe a good idea though. Right. And so like doing that work is challenging and then being able to be like, all right, now like, like, like, selling on it, you have to come up with the ideas.

And so what we do is provide really clear like kind of structure. When you enter into the role, whether it's an ambassador or a mixologist or the company, whatever it is, you know, their structure, this is what we're aiming towards. Like does it hit these marks and helping them sort of work within that space? And it's also really nice, I think, because we were able to kind of come at it from both ways.

There are things that are provided down that I'll create or our peers will create that sort of like playbook style. If you go out, you do this. Other times, you know, there's that element in where it's like, I have this idea, how do we build it? And so then it's fun because then it's workshopping and it's like letting the ideas snowball until it gets to a place that works and bringing in other members of the team or the industry to be like, hey, you know, we kind of have this thing, but like, what do you think about it?

And checking it with the people that actually are receiving it in the end is always helpful. And do you feel like you were uniquely suited to this role all along based on your personality and your strengths and your weaknesses? Or did you feel like you kind of grew through it as you were coming up a ladder, like to the point where you're like, okay, now I understand this makes sense, this does not make sense, or was it a combination of the two do you think? You know, I think it was mostly the latter.

I think definitely there was a lot of like growth that happened here to be like, okay, I like this. Am I good at this? I do, right? Like, there's a lot of that that goes on.

I think, especially with the way the world has been throughout the past, you know, five, six years I've been there, it's pretty interesting to look at it and be like, okay, this is not where I started, but I'm also happy with where I am. And I feel like there is a really unique combination of things to this role that I think are really well suited for me. Like I'm extremely creative and this allows me to do a lot of that. Like throwing these themed events and doing these programs, like it's all super fun.

And there's a level of flexibility and freedom in there that's great. Also like the human connection and the ability to still, you know, in act hospitality, maybe in a different way is really interesting and exciting. But I definitely don't think it was like, I always had my eye on it. Like certainly there was a lot of growth and change that was uncomfortable.

That was like, okay, I guess, I guess it's what we're doing now. Right, but did you find also that like, as you were moving your way up the ladder, you were like, okay, more able to recognize, well, this idea might work and this idea might not, whereas maybe when you started, you were like, oh, all ideas seem like, like, because we all come into this creative space, right? It was like, all ideas might work, right? Like when you're making a say, a cocktail menu.

No bad ideas, right? Did you already have that sort of, this is not the right way to say it, like sort of like a cutthroat way of like being like, that's not gonna work, this isn't gonna work, and here's why, or you need to sell me on it better, or did that develop as you were kind of moving up the ladder? I think I've always had a pretty keen eye for like things that I feel will resonate versus not, which has always been kind of fun and interesting. I've always had like very clear, like, I like it or I don't, which is also something I've had to grow through and be like, that's not always the best approach.

So I do feel like there is like a level of understanding of what works in does in this space, which is pretty cool, but there's certainly bad ideas. Like I can definitely name off a few things, or I'm like, why did anyone let me do that? Like that was not working better, you know? And that's just like part of it.

Or it could have been better, right? And you live and learn and you're like, okay, this is a way this could have gone better. And now I've done it. And the next time an event like that comes up, now I know I could have been done better.

So it's all learning, but that's, I mean, that's just all of life, I guess. It's just, I find your job very unique where it's like, you've risen to this position where before you're just like, okay, let's try an idea. And now it's like, no, no, no, I just, I'm like, yes. Kind of.

It's honestly, sometimes I say this all, like a lot to this. And I'm just like, okay, well, we're just doing it. And if it doesn't work, like, I guess it's working. And so like we're learning something from it.

Like we're leaning enough to be able to like constructively use that to move forward versus sitting in the failure, or sort of sitting in like thinking it was great when maybe it wasn't and having that instructive ability to be like, okay, I didn't do that great at this one. Like how do I do better next time? And like still let people know that I know that, you know? It's super cool though.

You must like kind of love your job now because you are still in the space of what you wanted to do which is growing up in the service industry. And you still get to talk about wine and spirits and whatever, but you also now have this sort of creative outlet at the same time, but also within a corporate dynamic where you know where your next paycheck's going from. And it's just like, yeah, you must be happy. It's pretty cool.

I really do enjoy my job. I enjoy getting to meet so many people all the time and still like chase down all the things that I think we all end up loving to nerd out about, like reading these books, eating and drinking and tasting stuff. And that being still available to me. And even if it's something I choose, I think it's still really important.

You know, I often have like some senior leadership or folks who are on other cross-functional teams that don't come from the background of hospitality. And be like, well, why do you do that? And it's like, well, that's the part of it that I love. And the part of it is being able to join my ambassadors and go into the trip or like taking another certification, even if it's on top of my normal job.

Like that's the point, right? It's having access to this and staying sharp and still doing what you like, despite having some of the other sort of elements, maybe of the role that are just something you deal with because it's part of your job. Right. Okay, so tell us what you're gonna be doing at Tales of the Cocktail.

Oh my goodness. A lot of things. A lot of things. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna probably be trying to drink a lot of water and say.

But we're gonna do this. Good luck with that. That did not work for me at all. No, no, no, that's not fun to like, come back a shell of a human, but it's fine.

It's great. We have a really cool lineup this year. We're going back with our portfolio party on opening night, which is always super fun. And so that was a big decision I got to make this year.

And it's always exciting to sort of plan tales, knowing it is this big moment for bartenders and there's so much to take away from it and trying to find all the right pockets to hit so everyone gets something, whether they're looking to learn or party or do it all. So we have those things going on, lots of cool tastings. And I think the thing that I'm most proud of is a lot of partnerships with great trade. Like always trying to identify folks who really have the desire and the opportunity to like be on that platform.

So putting them behind a bar, having them create something really cool with our brands and allowing them to shine is always the best part for me. Yeah, that's great. Okay, so before we let you go, we should let our listeners know exactly the brands that Pranoh is involved in. The thing is that's what you do for a living.

So like it's a rundown, you don't have to give us everything. I know it's a big company, but like maybe some of your favorites or whatever. Yeah, I know it is big. I don't even know if I could rattle all of them off.

No, well, just give us some face. Well, I think hiring back to it all, my favorites are of course the Champagne's. I love them, Perry's, you know, and JH Mom are delicious. We just got a new rose from Provance called Staches St Marguerite.

And then we have our wonderful, you know, Irish whiskey collection from Middleton. Red breast is delightful. Close to you, we have a lot for you, which is great. We love our Canadian brands.

And so many other fun ones. You have tons of great agave's like Dom Gay, Cote-Go and Altos, Flynn Livet, Jameson, of course. You know, so many ones that are just fun to work on. It's a big company.

That's huge. That's a lot. Well, it must be a lot for you to think about it all times. Like, I can't imagine how busy you must be overseeing all of this shit and like, different events for all of these different brands.

So thank you so much for giving us a little bit of time to talk to us that was super cool of you. Tell our listeners where they can follow you You can follow me. I am active everywhere, but Instagram at Nickelodeo. Daddy, which is my full name.

And, yeah, I mean, that's the same handle everywhere else. So keep it easy, the full name. Well, thanks so much, I'm glad it was super fun talking to you. That was a really interesting conversation.

And you have a really interesting job. So congratulations. Like, that's it. Yeah, and you're so young you have done it.

So that's another thing. Well, that's all I could tell is have the best time. Try to have some fun. And yeah, and thanks again for giving us a time.

I know it was short though. So we really appreciate it. No, this was awesome. Thank you guys so much.

You're doing some really great work. I'm excited to be on.